Overview

Martin Scorsese explores the life of organized crime with his gritty, kinetic adaptation of Nicolas Pileggi's best-selling Wiseguy, the true-life account of mobster and FBI informant Henry Hill. Set to a true-to-period rock soundtrack, the story details the rise and fall of Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian New York kid who grows up idolizing the "wise guys" in his impoverished Brooklyn neighborhood. He begins hanging around the mobsters, running errands and doing odd jobs until he gains the notice of local ...

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Overview

Martin Scorsese explores the life of organized crime with his gritty, kinetic adaptation of Nicolas Pileggi's best-selling Wiseguy, the true-life account of mobster and FBI informant Henry Hill. Set to a true-to-period rock soundtrack, the story details the rise and fall of Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian New York kid who grows up idolizing the "wise guys" in his impoverished Brooklyn neighborhood. He begins hanging around the mobsters, running errands and doing odd jobs until he gains the notice of local chieftain Paulie Cicero Paul Sorvino, who takes him in as a surrogate son. As he reaches his teens, Hill Ray Liotta is inducted into the world of petty crime, where he distinguishes himself as a "stand-up guy" by choosing jail time over ratting on his accomplices. From that moment on, he is a part of the family. Along with his psychotic partner Tommy Joe Pesci, he rises through the ranks to become Paulie's lieutenant; however, he quickly learns that, like his mentor Jimmy Robert DeNiro, his ethnicity prevents him from ever becoming a "made guy," an actual member of the crime family. Soon he finds himself the target of both the feds and the mobsters, who feel that he has become a threat to their security with his reckless dealings. Goodfellas was rewarded with six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture; Pesci would walk away with Best Supporting Actor for his work.

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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide
- Mark Deming

Seventeen years after revising the book on gangster movies in his breakthrough Mean Streets, Martin Scorsese returned to the netherworld of Italian-American organized crime with this stunningly ambitious, ferociously entertaining look at one man's rise and fall in a Mafia family. Shot and edited with a propulsive sense of rhythm that Gene Krupa would envy (this may be the fastest 150 minutes in film history), Goodfellas explores the 30-year career of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) as a "mechanic" working for mob boss Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino). While most films about gangsters attribute their characters' criminal lives to greed or sociopathic behavior, Scorsese makes it clear Henry and his friends Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) are gangsters because they enjoy it: they like to steal, they enjoy violence, and their "work" allows them to profit from these qualities, which would be a hindrance in nearly any other career. However, while the film offers a point-blank look at New York's criminal underworld from the '50s to the '80s, Scorsese also uses this story as a unusual but clear moral fable. In the first few reels, Henry and his partners follow a strict code of honor and make sure to obey Cicero's wishes: you pay tribute to the boss, you stay away from dealing drugs, and you don't kill anyone unless it's absolutely necessary. By the mid-'70s, these guidelines have been forgotten, and as Henry, Jimmy, and Tommy slip away from Paulie's corrupt but strictly ordered ethical universe, it leads only to death and betrayal. Scorsese has long been fascinated with the actions of men searching for a moral compass in a faithless land, but he's rarely told the story with such kinetic force and audacious skill.

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Great Mob Movie

Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro great roles. Lorraine Bracco before the Sopranos, wonderful....Soundtrack of the oldies, great to hear.....Overall, one of the most enjoyable Mob movies....

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted October 1, 2010

GREATFELLAS,GREAT FLICK!!!

Without question the best film of 1990. Marty Scorsese always could tell mob stories (MEAN STREETS) and depict urban volence and angst (TAXI DRIVER). Both are here in a tour de force by the usual cast of Scorsese stars, DeNiro, Pesci and they are bolstered by Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino and Lorraine Braco. The violence is heavy handed but it flows with the storyline and you seldom find it offensive (even when Pesci shoots a bar boy in the foot)...unlike the thugs played by DeNiro, Liotta and especially Pesci in his Oscar winning role. This classic epic makes you wish Coppola would have let Marty direct GODFATHER III.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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SleepDreamWrite

Posted July 14, 2013

Weird

The acting was good, but got a little over the top sometimes.

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Top 10

All of my friends are completely different. All of my friends disagree on everything. All of my friends say this is one of their top five to ten favorite films of all time. Enough said.

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Anonymous

Posted October 1, 2010

WTF, and call this a good movie!

This one is almost as bad as Jarhead!

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted October 1, 2010

one of the best

This is by far one of the best movies I have ever seen, surpassed only by Scarface. You definitely have to like mobster movies to enjoy this one, but if you enjoy that genre, you will definitely love this movie.

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Anonymous

Posted October 1, 2010

great mob movie.

I thought this movie Goodfellas was a great mob film. Everything in the movie was fantastic. Robert De Niro played his part very well. So as the other actors. it had a real interesting plot, great actors and how the movie went from beginning to end. I was really suprised of what's happening during the movie. This movie is a must see classic for all of those who like mob movies. Because in Goodfellas, you have to pay attention to the plot and you know what's going to happen. Dos pulgrates arriba!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Anonymous

Posted October 1, 2010

Scorcese At His Best

Scorcese always had a talent with movies made about violence. Goodfellas is the best version of this. In it, he chronicles the life of a flashy young mobster into a cocaine-laden informant to the FBI. With his ethnicity as his only blocking force, Henry Hill would have become a "made man." Pesci, as usual, was psychotic (I mean that in a good way.)

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Anonymous

Posted October 1, 2010

can't get enough

I recently lost my fiance in a car accident. And this movie makes me think of him because he and I would watch his DVD at least once a month. It is very well made, has a great soundtrack and makes me laugh so much (we had our own personal jokes from this film). I highly recommend it!

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Anonymous

Posted October 1, 2010

True Crime, has never been protrayed truer!

Dark, Savage, wildly emotional, a feat of movie making, Goodfellas is like no other of it's genre! Deniro gives a powerhouse performance as the volitile Jimmy Conway, Lioatta radiated quiet starpower, protraying a drug addled mobster, and Pecsi was well...just plain scary! What makes this movie great, is it's daring to show the world the true nature of the modern mob. Explosive, shocking, Scorsese's best,whetever your adjective, Goodfellas is truly one of the best mob movies ever made!

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Anonymous

Posted October 1, 2010

Not a fan of Gangster Movies! But....

I've never been of fan of any type of gangster movies (Scarface, Godfather, etc). But Goodfella's is the exception to the rule. This was an awesome movie. Good all the way to the end. The different points of action, drama, and comedy, mixed with everything else was just explosive. Liotta, Pesci, and De Niro played their characters to perfection. This is definitly a must see movie for everyone.

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Anonymous

Posted October 1, 2010

loved it

even though this was a long movie, i actually enjoyed it coming off that i really dont like drama movies or cuz i find them boring as hell and way too sappy cuz i usually enjoy action and horror movies. the movie is more interesting because its actually based on a true story of real life gangster Henry Hill. even though GoodFellas is mostly a mobster crime drama there were some humor in parts of the film and Joe Pesci's performance as a psychotic mobster was really great to perfection even though watching him act psychotic was a little bit annoying. some of the oldie songs on the movie were great to listen to. and robert deniro's performance was great. i was actually surprised that this movie turned out good because i dont really watch mafia movies or anything involved in drama but this took me by surprised. the other mob movie that really is good is a Bronx Tale.

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Anonymous

Posted October 1, 2010

From the Godfather to Goodfellas

Probably the best movie I have ever seen. I first heard of 'Goodfellas' about a year ago and I thought that it was just 'another' movie but when I first watched it I was hooked. I personally love gangster-mobster movies because all the members of the mob stick together and that¿s a quality that¿s hard to come by these days. They take care of their own business one way or another. This movie is probably the best mobster flick ever made also. Without a doubt, it¿s hard to capture the raw nature of an organized crime but with the help of Marty Scorsese, (also director of Meanstreets) he captured that quality and made a beautiful work of art. With the help of actors Robert DeNiro, Ray Liotta, and Joe Pesci, Goodfellas has become my all time favorite and I recommend it to anybody but there are some scenes that may be to graphic so put the kids asleep before watching this great movie!

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Anonymous

Posted October 1, 2010

GOOD movie!!!

i thought this movie was very well made! All the scenes and story lines fit together and the best supporting actor i thought was JOE PESCI! Great performance!

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Anonymous

Posted October 1, 2010

Scorese's Best Film

Best mob movie ever made. If you like The Godfather trilogy, you'll undoubtedly love Goodfellas. No other movie captures the raw nature of organized crime. Goodfellas also shows how good people can fall in love with the allure of the mob. Five stars, two tumbs up, whatever. Great movie.

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